Mega Man: The Dreams Become Real
by Bob Hedges
Summary: A boy killed in a gruesome mugging is given a second chance to live out his life as a childhood hero.
1. A Premonition

He dreamt it again. He was some...living, breathing, feeding monster. Roaming   
the halls, he was a hungry predator, ready to take out anything or anyone that   
dared to move in his presence. There was one by the lab table. There was a   
phrase in his vision that read "System Malfunction - Call in 10020394: SBA   
Overload." It was blinking red, as if it were important. On the upper right hand   
view of his vision, there was another vision he was paying attention to. It was   
a map. There were dots blinking on it; the closer he got, the closer the dot   
became. Below the map, a phrase was etched in electronic font: "Targeting   
Systems Engaged. Protocol 2 Engaged...Primary Defense Mode Activated.". The   
person in front of him was a man in a lab coat. He recognized him right away,   
but didn't know exactly where he had seen him before. For a moment, he stood   
still while some clicking noises came from the back of his head. A video played   
before his eyes. The man was Dr. Werlen, the man who had slandered him the day   
he came in. The video played in length:  
  
"I don't know, Dr. Caplin, his body might be a bit too damaged for this," Said a   
man. Robert could see three men standing over him. One picked up his hand. No   
matter what he tried, he could no longer control it. "Dr. Caplin...pick another   
person. This boy's too....ugly. Disgusting." The man slapped Robert's jaw,   
causing his head to rock to the side. Dr. Caplin straightened his head again.   
"You are dismissed, Dr. Werlen," He said, as he rubbed the side of Robert's jaw.  
  
"You're treating him as if he is alive," Dr. Werlen said as he left the room.   
"He's dead, doctor. Been dead for almost a day now. And to be honest with you, I   
don't know why you're treating him like he's still here. Hey Robert! I read your   
file, fatty! I know all about your..."  
  
Doctor Caplin spoke out softly: "Stop, Dr. Werlen, you're excused."  
  
".....Medical history. I hope you die....."  
  
"Stop."  
  
"......because nobody ever wanted you back anyw...."  
  
Dr. Caplin screamed, a rareness for the gentleman. "That's enough! Leave! Now!"   
Doctor Caplin ran over and slammed the door. Only he and the man remained.  
  
"Now, getting back to business Caplin..." The man stated. Robert was used to   
staring straightforward. Although he couldn't move, he desperately wanted to.   
"This boy's name is what again?" Caplin said. The man picked up a clipboard.   
"You are looking at John Doe number one of one, doctor. They found him dead in   
the town center."  
  
Robert wanted to scream his name out. "My name is Robert Dawwes! Dawwes! My   
address is 304 West Suentra Street, Emporium Pennsylvania! Please!" His mind   
spoke the words, but he could not.  
  
"He's fine, Hawkins," Dr. Caplin said. "I knew him. His name is Dawwes and he   
used to work on my computers and things at the office. Remember...we need to   
pick someone who's file is clean. The best we can do is find someone we know.   
Plus...the boy...didn't deserve to die. It was in the news. He was mugged and   
murdered. I want him."  
  
"Very fine, Dr. Caplin," said Hawkins. He rubbed his moustache. Doctor Caplin   
reached down to below Robert's view, and when his hands reappeared, they had a   
bone saw. "Might as well get to work, Hawkins. We don't...know how long this   
will work for...we've had test subjects before that were a day old...but he's   
over two days." He turned on the bone saw and headed toward Robert's head. The   
sound of flesh being torn away from his scalp sickened him, and for a moment he   
was glad he couldn't see or feel the procedure. A few minutes later, the doctor   
stopped the saw. Caplin tugged on the top of Robert's skull, and it came off.   
Setting it aside, he marveled at the brain for a minute.  
  
"Isn't it amazing, Hawkins? I pulled his school files. He has an IQ   
of 160. Fairly moral. His friends seemed like the good crowd too. And to   
think...he could still be listening to us right now..."  
  
"Doctor, what are you saying?" asked Hawkins.  
  
"Look at the EKG. It's dead. Now..." Caplin reached over and turned on another   
machine. It beeped at a constant pace. "His brain activity is still very strong.   
We don't know what it means as of this point, but he could still be listening to   
us...feeling us...that's another reason why I want this to go quick. Our   
friend...Robby...here...could still be listening. Which is why I threw Werlen   
out."  
  
"I see..."  
  
"Okay...now...here...is the frontal lobe. I'm going to insert a probe now."   
Robert suddenly blacked out.  
  
When he came to, he was still lying on his back, but something was different.   
This time, he could feel a warm, tingly sensation in his hands and feet. He   
still couldn't move them, though. He was in a strange place this time, however.   
It appeared to be more of a basement than a hospital area.  
  
"Where am I...?" He spoke, and surprisingly, he heard his voice. He tried to   
roll his eyes, but still could not. Vaguely, a song could be heard in the   
background. He recognized it from his childhood. Ironically, it was 'Weird   
Science', by Oingo Boingo. Robert heard footsteps from the back of the room   
coming forward. A woman put her head over Robert's view.  
  
"Bobby?" She said. "Can you hear me? Are you awake?"  
  
"Elizabeth, please. He might be scared. He's never seen you before..."  
  
Frowning, the woman stepped away, but not before touching his hand, which he   
felt vaguely, but not totally, like a pressure on top several layers of   
blankets. The song still beat out in the background.  
  
"Mr. Robert Dawwes, I don't know if you remember me from before. My name is Dr.   
Harry Caplin, and you're in my private lab...err...basement." The doctor   
appeared over head. "If you can hear me, Robert, Robby, Bobby, Bob, Rob, please,   
say something, anything.  
  
Robert was scared. Should he say anything? What would happen if he did? Was it a   
mistake that he was thinking and talking now? He didn't know. But still, he   
could remember the warm look of the girl above him moments before. He decided to   
speak.  
  
"Yes, I can hear you."  
  
A large and generous smile crossed Caplin's face, and his eyes lit up. He   
clapped his hands several times, and then did a dance around the table.   
Laughing, the girl came into view. They hugged, and both appeared very happy   
indeed. After the mini celebration, Caplin cleared his throat and led the girl   
to the table.  
  
"This is my daughter, Elizabeth Caplin. She's your age; I believe...18 or   
so...she's my assistant. Robert...do you remember what happened to you?"  
  
He could remember the two men. One took his wallet, and laughed. Both had masks   
on, but their voices were peculiar. "This all you have, little man?" The one man   
spoke. He jammed the gun into Robert's back, and it went off. He fell to the   
ground. The men appeared in a panic. Robert closed the thought off right there   
and simply answered yes.  
  
"Okay...so...you remember your name?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Address?"  
  
"Parents?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Robert, you were dead. I've...managed to bring you back to life. Although I'm   
not quite done. You're sort of my child now...I hope you don't mind me   
saying...?"  
  
"No, not at all Doctor," He said. He wished he could look at the girl more, but   
his eyes wouldn't move.  
  
"It's been five months since you were killed. Do you remember anything between   
those times?" The doctor asked the question, then began writing in a notepad.  
  
"I remember you jamming something into my brain, and then I blacked out," He   
said.  
  
The doctor nodded, then finished writing in the pad. He put them both on a table   
and walked back over to Robert directly. "Robby....I have your thought processes   
working again. I have your sight working. Your speech is good as well. The only   
thing I have to work on, unfortunately, is your...motor and balance system. You   
see, Robert, you were shot through the spine. If I left you the way you were,   
you would not be able to move. You're head is basically the only thing left of   
what you used to be." He had a serious look on his face. He picked up Robert's   
arm and put the hand in front of his face. "Do you see this, Robby?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
The hand was certainly not organic. It had five fingers, but that's where the   
similarities stopped. It had a rubbery look to it, and was jointed in several   
places. The coloration of it was black, and there were holes in it.  
  
"This is your new hand. You probably can't feel anything yet. I haven't   
activated your NRS yet. One I do...which will be...a few more weeks...you'll be   
able to feel."  
  
"NRS...." He repeated himself several times.  
  
"Nervous Response System. It's what tells your brain how things should feel.   
Though technically I have the option to make you completely senseless to pain, I   
don't think that would be an excellent idea...you need to be able to feel when   
you're hurt or damaged."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Robby, do you...mind if your sister talks to you?"  
  
"Sister?" Robert never had a sister. Then he assumed the doctor was talking   
about the girl. "Yes, of course." He said.  
  
The girl walked over, smiling. She kissed him on the cheek, and although he knew   
it was just his mind, he thought he had felt it.  
  
"Hello Robby. Dad's told me so much about you. My name's Elizabeth...and...."  
  
"Elizabeth? You're a very nice...person...but...I feel funny talking to someone   
when I can't even blink my eyes."  
  
She giggled, and then shook her head.  
  
"You shouldn't feel like that. I was like that at first, too."  
  
"You...are...like me? Why do you look so human?" A look of pain spread across   
her face rather quickly. "I'm sorry..." He said. "No..no...I died from cancer."  
  
"Robert...I'm sorry" The doctor spoke up. "We can't exactly make you look human.   
Your body was pretty badly damaged from what happened, as said before, and well,   
she had more to work with than you."  
  
"I understand." he said. "What will I look like...?"  
  
A few seconds later, the doctor produced a picture and held it in front of his   
eyes. Robert couldn't believe it.  
  
"Mega...m...ma...man...." He stuttered.  
  
"Yes!" The doctor said with a grin. "She was watching the show whenever we had   
the puzzle of coming up with something for you and this is what we came up with.   
Do you like it?"  
  
"Yes..." He said.  
  
"Now, Robert. I need to ask you something, although I can pretty much guess the   
answer. You need to tell me now if you want to live again. If you just want   
to...go peacefully to wherever you should go, then so be it...."  
  
"No, doctor...if I can live and walk again..."  
  
"Understood. Although you do understand this could take a while. And you need to   
be awake for some of the calibrations. It could be painful." The doctor folded   
his arms. Elizabeth smiled.  
  
"I'm fine. I can do it..."  
  
Laughing, he called out to his daughter. "Yes Doctor?" She said. "Get me plans   
for phase two."  
  
"Phase two?" Robert said in a questioning tone. The fuzzy feeling in his hands   
had began to bother him.  
  
"Phase two is getting the NRS working." The doctor put on a pair of goggles.  
  
"What do you have to do?"  
  
"We need to hook the nerve receptors in the artificial appendages into the   
organic ones in your brain."  
  
Elizabeth returned with a large stack of papers and the doctor thanked her.   
Lowering his goggles, he reached under Robert's chin, but before doing anything,   
he paused. "Robert?" He said.  
  
"Yes, doctor?"  
  
"I'm going to shut you down so you don't have to view this. it isn't going to be   
pretty. And it's going to take a while."  
  
"How long?"  
  
"A month or two."  
  
Robert would have gasped. He didn't understand why it needed to be that long.  
  
"Don't worry, Robby. It'll be like sleeping. You won't even know you've been   
asleep for more than a few minutes, actually."  
  
"Okay doctor."  
  
"Robert?"  
  
"Yes Doctor?"  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
Robby smiled inside his head. Elizabeth gave him a grin. He would have asked a   
question, but then the doctor pushed the switch. Things went dark, then he fell   
asleep.  
  
******  
  
"Robert?" The doctor spoke aloud.  
  
"Yeah Doctor?" he replied.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'm going to activate your nerve systems now. Tell me right away if it hurts or   
if it feels strange in any way, alright?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
The doctor went to Robert's neck. He took a bladed object and stuck it into a   
place that Robert couldn't see at that angle. A loud click could be heard, then   
Robert screamed out in pain. Quickly, the doctor stuck the blade and turned it   
the opposite direction. The pain stopped.  
  
"Obviously that hurt. I'm sorry. Are you alright? Where did it hurt you?"  
  
"My right foot." He said, in a wavery voice. Although he couldn't cry, he felt   
as though he was ready to. The pain was intense, and he was glad it went away.   
The doctor walked to the edge of the table and used the bladed tool on Robert's   
leg to adjust some sort of screw near his kneecap. Turning it a few times, he   
came back to the head of the table and looked Robert in the eyes. "Ready?" He   
said. Robert nodded inside his mind. "Ready, Robert?" The doctor said once more.   
"Oh...sorry...yes..." The doctor stuck the tool into his neck. An electronic   
whir rose into the air, then disappeared. The doctor looked into Robert's eyes   
again.  
  
"Okay, Robby. Here's the test."  
  
He took the bladed tool and poked it into the shoulder blade area of Rob's body.   
He whimpered. The doctor smiled. "So far, so good..."  
  
Then, the doctor went to Robert's feet. he used his finger to gently tickle   
Bob's foot. He laughed a little. Making sure Robert wasn't just bluffing, the   
doctor asked him about it.  
  
"What did I do?" He was smiling.  
  
"You tickled my foot. I felt it," He said. The doctor nodded in approval. With   
that, he patted Robert on the shoulder. "Felt that," He said, laughing a bit   
afterwards. "Where's Elizabeth?"  
  
"She's down for repairs," the doctor said. "You see, Robert, she is a different   
kind of robot....cyb....person than you. She was built for labor, and as such,   
she requires the yearly cleaning. It doesn't take long. Actually, she's sitting   
on the table behind you."  
  
"Doctor, what did you build me for?" Robert said. He still thought the idea of   
being built was strange, but accepted the terms.  
  
"You...," he stopped.  
  
"Yes, doctor?"  
  
"...were built to be like the Navi robots that were in the series, remember?" He   
said. Robert immediately thought that his body would be massively armored, a   
thick battle machine, ready for fighting. Or, perhaps a smaller, sleek body like   
Mega Man.  
  
"Well, Robert....you're...a....lifestyle assistant robot."  
  
His mind did a flip. He was a maid.  
  
"I'm a maid?"  
  
"Essentially, yes. You aren't angry, are you?"  
  
"No. I'm glad to be alive."  
  
"Good....do you want to keep going? I won't need to shut you down anymore unless   
you misbehave, and I know you won't." He smiled again.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Okay...Robert. I know I told you it wouldn't be long, but...I'm sorry...it's   
been a while since I last activated you. That was in the summer of two-thousand   
three. It's now the spring of two thousand five."  
  
"I was...down for that long?" He wondered how it seemed so short.  
  
"Yes, yes you were."  
  
"I understand," he said.  
  
"Okay, now lets progress, shall we? Next up is your VAS. Visual Aid System. It   
will allow you to target objects, and it enhances your vision. I'll be turning   
it on now."  
  
The doctor took the blade to Robert's neck again, and another tiny click was   
heard. Robert's eyes shut for the first time in years. They opened  
  
"Robert, can you see properly?"  
  
Inside his head, Robert was amazed. He could see an array of colors so vivid it   
was unbelievable. There was a bit of a difference though between focusing on an   
object before and now. If he concentrated on something long enough, his eyes   
seemingly zoomed in on it. He focused on the doctors face, which was off to the   
side a bit. He concentrated more on his nose, and his eyes slowly zoomed. The   
more he put attention to it, the faster it zoomed. It got ridiculously clear. He   
could see individual pores in the doctor's skin, and could even see the tiny   
blood vessels beneath the skin. He laughed.  
  
"Can you see?"  
  
"Yes, doctor, very well."  
  
"How well, Robert? Here...I want you to read this, okay?"  
  
The doctor held up a computer chip with a pair of tweezers. First Bob focused   
his eyes on the chip, since it was off to the left and slightly low of straight   
forward. Next he began to focus. The zooming started. Slowly and surely, words   
came into view. They cleared at a point and he read them aloud.  
  
"Bill...sucks? Bill sucks?! Wait a minute! That's a Pentium Three!"  
  
Both the doctor and he laughed.  
  
"I see you haven't lost your touch," The doctor said. He grinned once again.   
"Okay...now, the Heads up Display. You need one. Essentially, it's like your   
operating system. It lets you check on your systems, and also lets you automate   
some things. You won't ever have to go under like Elizabeth over there with   
this. It's one of my new innovations."  
  
Once again, the doctor reached for his neck and flicked at something. Another   
sound, and soon words were scrolling across Robert's line of sight. A voice in   
the back of his head read some of them aloud.  
  
"NRS online. Reactor Online. Gyro Systems Online. All systems nominal." A   
woman's voice said rather flatly.  
  
"Groovy. Sound's like Britney Spears." Robert said.  
  
"I figured you'd like her."  
  
He read through some of the information which was translucent. Indeed, if he   
concentrated on a button, a submenu would open.  
  
"Go ahead and explore!"  
  
He held his eyes on a menu option that said 'Core System Information.' After   
doing so, the menu read a quick system status, and the woman spoke:  
  
"Core Temperature is steady at seventy-six degrees Fahrenheit. System efficiency   
is at Ninety four percent and climbing. Gyro Stabilization systems are geared   
for earth gravity. All systems meet status GREEN requirements. No repairs   
needed."  
  
"Okay Robert, now here's the big one. Your motor systems." The doctor folded his   
arms and sighed.  
  
"What's wrong, doctor?"  
  
He sighed, then spoke:  
  
"This is always the bitch. I can never get the muscle systems right at first.   
Even when I activated Elizabeth a few years ago, she punched me in the mouth   
because of reflex. I think I have you good, though, so lets see."  
  
The doctor, as always, took the metal object and flipped a tiny switch on   
Robert's neck. The woman's voice in his head spoke aloud:  
  
"Power systems indicate system wide drainage of forty percent for process seven.   
Engaging process seven."  
  
His knee jerked.  
  
Slowly, he blinked his eyes. Then smiled. He turned his head and his eyes met   
Caplin's. The doctor motioned for him to sit up. Slowly, he called upon the   
electronic muscles in his back, and they supported his weight. Slowly, he sat   
up. The woman spoke aloud once more:  
  
"Gyro stabilization beginning."  
  
Robert suddenly felt extremely nimble. He picked his arm up and looked at his   
hand. Rubbery in the palms and metallic on the backs, they appeared to be   
mitted. Smiling, he turned to the doctor. Caplin came to the side of the table.  
  
"Go ahead, Robert...walk."  
  
He slowly swung his feet over the side of the bed. One foot touched the ground,   
then the other. Slowly he put more and more weight upon them until his whole   
body was supported. He then pushed himself forward and stood. A gauge in the   
upper-right of his view moved as he bobbed his head and a compass spun as he   
turned. It was a navigation system. But yet, he still felt much more nimble than   
a regular person. He transferred all of his weight to one foot, then slowly   
picked the foot up until he was standing on just his metallic toes. The doctor   
laughed.  
  
"You're probably able to keep your balance better now, actually. You have a   
series of gyroscopes in you that help to keep you balanced. But now...go   
ahead...there's a mirror...go see yourself."  
  
In the corner of the room was a large mirror. He slowly walked toward it. Each   
time he took a step the gauge bobbed. It bothered him, and soon he found himself   
imagining it disappearing. It did. With satisfaction he kept walking.  
  
He arrived at the mirror and stopped. He couldn't believe his eyes for a minute.   
Staring at the image in the mirror was amazingly strange. He remembered what he   
looked like before, and now this. Not the massive, hulking creature he had   
imagined all that time ago, and not even the maid Navi the doctor had explained.   
He was about four feet tall, and had arms and legs about six inches in diameter.   
At the forearms, they widened, and the same happened at his calves. Indeed, he   
looked like Mega Man, only he was dark black with gold bands around the arms and   
legs. The doctor tapped him on the back. He turned.  
  
"Robert...this is yours, too," He said. He handed Bob a helmet. It completed the   
outfit. Putting it on, he looked back at himself.  
  
"What now?" He had wondered what the doctor would say   
now. Perhaps stay and do his bidding? Be some kind of super hero? Be a maid?  
  
"Whatever you please. You're welcome to stay here. You're also welcome to go.   
You're your own person. Take that liberty and go," Smiling, he shrugged.  
  
"I know what I want to do," Robert said, chuckling.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I want to watch TV. Preferably an episode of Digimon."  
  
They both laughed. Suddenly, from the table behind them, a beeping noise rung   
out. The doctor looked over.  
  
"What's happening?"  
  
"She's waking up."  
  
Elizabeth opened her eyes as if she were awakening from an evening slumber. She   
swung her legs off of the table and walked over to Robert. She smiled when she   
saw his body upright, as she was much taller than he.  
  
"You shrunk," she said, laughing.  
  
"Yes I did." He held out his hand and they shook.  
  
That afternoon, Robert, Elizabeth, and Doctor Caplin talked for hours at the   
dinner table. Robert watched the doctor eat a piece of cake, and he wondered   
what it would be like to taste some. However, he found that he no longer craved   
it. He also no longer had hunger. it seemed strange, but then he just assumed it   
was a part of not being completely human. The trio talked well into the night,   
until the Doctor's yawning became too constant. He retired, but the two Navis   
stayed awake, talking as the moon rose high in the sky. 


	2. A Nightmare Come True

He woke up just then; sweat dripping from his face in thick channels. Sighing, he peeled the covers off of his body, and the blast of air that hit him cut through his flesh like a knife. Shivering, he got out of bed and walked across the room to the alarm clock. Reading it slowly, he realized it had said that the time was four fifty-eight. He could no longer sleep because of the dream. It kept happening over and over again, amazingly realistic and overpowering. He remembered every detail of it, and it scared him. The way the thoughts stayed in his mind, it appeared to be something more than a dream. Yawning, he ambled over to the computer on the other side of the room and turned on the monitor.  
  
His friend Michael had E-Mailed him yet again with the details of the RPG they played together. For some reason he really didn't want to read it at all, so Robert stuck it in the garbage can. The next E-Mail was from his doctor at the city hospital, Dr. Caplin. Shaking his head, he read the E- Mail quietly, mouthing the words:  
  
"Dear Robert, I hope my computer will be done soon! I'm hoping that I can get it by this weekend so I can read the sports pages in the office. I'll be waiting for you after hours in my office on Saturday. Please give me a ring if this isn't good!"  
  
Sighing, Robert trashed the E-Mail. The worst thing about the dreams were that they involved real people; people he knew. The Elizabeth from the dreams was his secret love; a girl in his Physics classes at school that was really quiet and shy. Doctor Werlen was the man at the clinic always hovering around Doctor Caplin. That's what made the dreams even more sickening. Yawning, Robert looked at the clock again. School was in two hours, and if he didn't go back to sleep soon he would never be able to last the day. So with that, he shut the monitor off and crawled back into bed. He was awake for a few minutes, pondering the question most boys in his situation did: When would he be able to gain friends? When would he be able to say he honestly had someone to believe in him? Robert Dawwes was a lonely person. He had lived in the neighborhood of Emporium for years, but yet, nobody truly accepted him for who he was. He was constantly picked on at school for the way he dressed and what his attitude was like, but he was always helpful. He shed a single tear, and it rolled off of his face slowly. Then his eyes closed and sleep grasped him once more.  
  
No more dreams were waiting for him in his slumber. He woke up at Six thirty on the dot, thanks to the alarm clock his father had bought him for his birthday. It chimed out the local radio station every morning, with the same loudness and the same attitude.  
  
"That guy always sounds cheery. I wonder if he'll ever have a crappy day and admit it?" Robert asked himself as he poured Corn Flakes into a bowl. Eating and going onto the internet at the same time was always a staple of the morning. He would hold the spoon in one hand, bowl in lap, and right hand on the mouse, surfing through the pages to see what had happened the night before. Usually he was on mIRC talking to Michael, who was just getting ready to go to sleep when Robert woke up.  
  
"Time zones are a bitch." He stood, taking the bowl out to the kitchen.  
  
He got dressed, and was soon out the door. It was a snowy, chilly day, and as usual, his dark coat draped over his body like a giant sheet of leather. It whipped and cracked in the wind while he cleared the windshield. He had twenty minutes to drive to the other side of the town. Jumping in, he fired up the car and rolled toward the edge of the driveway.  
  
He arrived at school to see an amazing sight. Fire trucks were everywhere and so was the massive amount of smoke that covered the entire property. Orange flames shot from windows while the fifty or sixty students that had arrived stood on the edge of the property. Stopping the car on the edge of the drive, he hopped out and jogged over with a look of disbelief on his face. He spotted Elizabeth in the crowd as always, toward the back and all alone. She had her dark hair pulled down in front of her face and a bright blue dress on. She saw him and quickly looked at her feet.  
  
"Hey Bob!" Someone cried out. Looking around, he spotted Brett, his best friend. They ran to meet each other.  
  
"Brett, what the hell?"  
  
"School's on fire, dude! Nothing today!" Brett exclaimed happily. "This is something kids DREAM of! The principal said we could go home but I've just been watching it burn now for a while, probably a half an hour. It's sweet!" He laughed loudly, and a couple of the people in the crowd began to point and whisper at the two of them. Robert seemed to be the only one who noticed. Sighing, he shook his head.  
  
"Come on, Brett.let's go to the arcade or something. I've got a few extra bucks. I think I can Dance-Dance you under the table today."  
  
Brett laughed at Bob, then slapped him in the arm.  
  
"You're on, buddy!"  
  
Together they jumped into Bob's car and went south, toward the city of Johnstown. Johnstown wasn't a very big city, but it had a fairly respectable arcade. It was the mainstay of every youth within a fifty mile radius. Once they reached the city, Robert found a parking spot in a garage and paid the toll taker. They settled the car into its resting place then began the slow walk from the car. The two boys turned and began walking down Clinton Street, toward the arcade. Its neon sign was glowing bright in the early morning haze, and could be spotted nearly a quarter- mile down the road. They walked a short distance, talking casually about what they were going to do with their free day together when all of a sudden, Robert's stroll became a meander.then stopped. He cocked his head to the side.  
  
"Brett. Listen. There's someone over there." Off in the distance, emanating from a dark and far off alleyway, a feminine voice was pleading with someone. Brett nodded. "What do you think it is?" He exclaimed. Robert shook his head, then took off in a half-jog toward the alley on the other side of the road. Peering down the dark alleyway, Robert spotted the source of the noise immediately. It was a woman in her early years, with two men slapping at her. The one laughed while the other began poking at her with his right hand. The woman was crying.  
  
He did what came natural to him: He ran down the alley at full speed toward the men. They heard him coming from a far way off, and tossed the woman into a pile of rotten garbage when they saw him coming. The bigger of the two confronted him.  
  
"Go back, little boy, before you realize how big of a mistake you're making." He laughed loudly. Suddenly anger prevailed in him.  
  
"Why not leave her alone?" He said. The man took a swing at him. Robert immediately reacted, pulling the man's arm toward him, throwing his assailant off balance. Using his other arm, he made a half-fist and drove upward. It struck the mugger directly in the nose, causing its bone to shatter into a dozen pieces. Blood splattered on Robert's shirt and on the wall beside them. The man recoiled. Growling, he brought his arm forward again, aiming for Robert's stomach. This time, Robert judged the speed, catching the hand in mid-flight. He pulled it downward and wrapped his leg around it. Quickly, he tensed the muscles in his thigh and kicked, causing the arm of the man to crack and crunch. The attacker howled out in agony as his elbow was pulverized. The woman, crying, ran off just then. The other mugger seemed to follow her a bit, but then turned. He saw his accomplice holding his arm, blood drenching his face. It angered him and he pulled out a gun, pointing it directly at Robert's chest.  
  
Brett watched the whole situation from afar. He wanted to help; to do anything he possibly could, but he was scared as well. He spotted a police officer far down the street, and took off running in that direction.  
  
Laughing and choking on his own blood, the one assailant pushed Robert into the other who held the gun. He felt the cold barrel of the weapon, as well as deja-vu, in the air. The one robber used his good arm to rip Robert's wallet from his pocket. He flipped it open, spilling his library card and identification onto the dirty pavement. He took the money and threw the wallet on the ground.  
  
"Is this all you have, little man?" The injured robber spit.  
  
"Just enough for a good time with your mom."  
  
The barrel of the gun dug deeper into his back.  
  
"You'd better watch what you're saying, little man. Or else you'll be tasting lead."  
  
The policeman stepped around the corner. All three individuals froze in their tracks. The robber with the gun angled the weapon upward toward Robert's heart and spoke: "If you come any closer, pig, I'm going to kill him."  
  
The policeman didn't move. He simply held his ground. The two were staring each other down. The injured robber went to grab the policeman's gun. He walked between the two of them and demanded it. The policeman threw it to the ground. Smiling, the robber that held Robert hostage went to relax a bit in his stance.  
  
His foot slipped on the garbage in the alley.  
  
A gunshot rung out.  
  
Robert felt a dull numbness in his back and in the center of his chest. He collapsed onto the dirty alleyway while both robbers fled the scene. The policeman began barking into his handset for an ambulance. And the whole time, Robert was staring at the sky, wondering why dreams have a bad habit of becoming real. 


	3. The Darkness Before the Light

Robert's eyes were glazed and heavy by the time the ambulance came. The policeman's name was Officer Lucas, or so the dispatcher said. He was holding Robert's head in his lap, comforting him while the sirens blared in the city.  
  
"Officer..."  
  
"Just be quiet. Help is on it's way."  
  
He was an older man of about fifty years old. Gray puffy hair flew out from the sides of his head underneath the edge of the cap. He looked at the boy who was in his arms, blood slowly trickling out of the hole that started in his back and ended in the front of his body. He had placed a small handkerchief over it, and when he pushed, Robert winced in pain. Quite frankly, the officer knew the boy was never going to make it.  
  
"Off..." Robert batted his eyes. He weakly reached up and put an arm on the officer's wrist.  
  
"My name is Scott. You can call me Scott. Everything's going to be alright..."  
  
"Where's Brett?" His eyes batted halfway closed. The officer knew that if Robert fell asleep, he would surely die. He pushed on the handkerchief, and Robert groaned.  
  
"He's talking to my partner. He's fine."  
  
Ambulance sirens were coming closer, and soon a black striped ambulance swung the corner and appeared at the front of the alley. A man and a woman jumped from the back of the vehicle. They quickly tore down the pavement and the male paramedic threw open the kit he was carrying. Together, the two covered the holes in Robert's back and front. They stuck an IV kit into his arm, and soon, another medic ran forward with a stretcher. All three rolled his body onto a backboard, secured him, then lifted him onto the stretcher.  
  
"Tell my..." Robert was speaking. The paramedics were struggling with the stretcher. They loaded him into the back and soon the ambulance was blazing down the road toward the emergency center.  
  
The caravan of police and medical vehicles arrived minutes later, and they unloaded Robert with amazing speed. Rolling him up the ramp and into the hospital, the male paramedic motioned to a doctor in a white surgical coat. Rapidly, the doctor ran over.  
  
"Gunshot wound to the middle of the middle of the back. The exit wound is near the breastbone. Administered an IV and morphine. He's still slipping. Heart rate is ninety-four over sixty-six and falling."  
  
They ran into an operating room where surgeons are waiting. The paramedics handed the gurney to doctors. Once settled under the operating room's bright lights, they lifted him onto an operating table. The doctors cut away the rest of the shirt he was wearing, blood-soaked and dirty. One surgeon stuck electrodes on Robert's chest and arms. Immediately, a heart monitor began beeping in the background.  
  
Robert had lost consciousness in the ambulance about halfway to the hospital. He was having a rather vivid dream. In it, he was somewhere different; a long dark hallway in the midst of an underground labrynth.  
  
His vision was strange, like other dreams he used to have. A phrase was pulsing in green below the upper-right view of a map. It was changing every few seconds between 'Data carrier line one opened' and 'Communications established'. He looked around the room. A voice echoed in his head with some static, but otherwise clear.  
  
"Mega. Watch for Quick Man. He's in the area." It was Doctor Caplin's voice, striking a deep fear in his thoughts.  
  
He was running down a corridor toward a giant door. Gaps every few feet in front of him challenged his quest to that door, but he found that jumping over them was rather easy. Suddenly though, a small group of five beings popped out of the gaps. They looked like bats, but were mechanical. They flapped their metallic wings, and emitted a low, menacing hum. Slowly they hovered to Robert. Closer and closer they edged. Robert was paralyzed with fear.  
  
"Mega! Use the Buster!"  
  
One touched his hand. An electrical shock vibrated up Robert's arm and stunned him with tremendous pain. He fell to the ground with force, and several of the display words changed on his view. The most notable was a gauge in the upper left that had several tiny white slots in it. About four were taken away, and a percentage below the gauge dropped from 100% to 94%. A booming laugh echoed down the corridor. Looking up from the floor, Robert tilted his head enough to see Quick Man at the end of the hallway. He was laughing hysterically, and pointing. Soon Robert's temper began to boil over.  
  
"You expected to beat me when you can't even deal with them?! Hah!" He chuckled some more, and turned. The doorway slid shut.  
  
With anger, Robert rolled on the floor. He kicked up, and propelled himself almost ten feet into the air. He pointed his left arm into the direction of the bats.  
  
"Targeting," the female voice said within his mind.  
  
Smiling, he let didn't let the force of energy go right away. He let it build, and remembered the laughing of Quick Man. Soon the power indicators on his forearm were all lit. Robert let go.  
  
A huge blast of power hurdled down the long stretch, lighting the dim passage as it charged the air. Four of the five bats were in its immediate path, and were soon disintegrated into dust. The fourth flew forward, howling out and straightening its wings. Robert, still in mid-air, straightened his arm again and let out a string of blasts. They hammered the bat, denting its surface. It exploded into flames and flew a few feet above his head, smashing into a wall and scattering into pieces. Shaking his head, Robert checked the instrument gauges once more. He read the display slowly:  
  
'Minor Damage to right extremity. Functionality at 85% and rising' 'Power capacitor in M-Buster at 98% and rising.' 'Approaching target. Distance: 240 meters'  
  
Noting the last few words, he jumped the caverns to the door. Looking above it, a picture of the doctor tied his stomach in knots. Gathering his courage, he entered the doorway and it snapped shut behind him. A quiet, desolate stretch was in front of him, leading to another door. The distance gauge was decreasing. He knew that ahead of him was one of the doctor's evil creations. It needed punished. Robert used his mind to select the 'Transport Part' menu. It dropped down, and before him were the names of more robots. One was Ice Man.  
  
"Quick Man- get ready for a blizzard."  
  
He selected Ice Man, and his body felt strange. A light fell upon him, encircling his entire body. The female voice in his head spoke out:  
  
"Transferring."  
  
His external skin changed colors, from the black and gold he was familiar with, to a light blue with dark blue bands. His left arm changed shape, flaring out more at the tip and becoming rounder. The power gauge on the side lit up. The light surrounding his body disappeared.  
  
"Transfer Complete."  
  
He ran toward the door and it opened.  
  
"Mega, be careful! He's not powerful, but he's dangerous either way...use your..."  
  
The voice of Doctor Caplin died out when the doors snapped shut behind him. The lights suddenly lit the room, and Quick Man was right ahead of him.  
  
"I give you one more chance. Join us and Doctor Wily, or be crushed." Quick Man stretched his legs, and inside Robert's view, a power gauge appeared beside his, counting up to 100% and sitting steady.  
  
Robert smiled. "The only thing I'm going to crush is you."  
  
Quick Man frowned, and jumped into the air. He shot a string of boomerangs at Robert, who easily dove beneath them. Quick Man was touching down on the other side of the room when Robert rolled, shooting a beam of ice at the enemy. It connected with the middle of Quick Man's back, and he shouted out in agony. Ice crystals formed on his arms and legs. He hit the ground and was completely frozen. Robert stood. He grinned again, walking over to the frozen person in front of him.  
  
"Now, who's going to crush who?" Robert said. In his view, Robert accessed the 'Transport Part' Menu again, selecting the M-Buster once more. The familiar cascade of light surrounded him once more, and within seconds he was his old self. He patted his M-Buster, looking to Quick Man.  
  
"You'll never win, Mega Man. Never."  
  
"Watch me."  
  
Robert lifted the Buster and charged it. The power gauge on the side of it rose steadily to the top until his entire body was glowing, acting as a gun. He pointed the weapon at Quick Man and released the electronic force. It hit Quick Man, and an explosion ripped through his body, sending a shower of robotic parts into every direction. Reaching down, Robert picked up a tiny black box. Like many times before, he brought up the menu in his visual systems and selected 'Disarm'. A few indicators disappeared from his few, including the targeting system. His left arm was encased in the light once more, and soon was replaced by a normal appendage. He placed the box in that hand, and lifted the right in front of his face. Smiling, he went through the GUI, selecting 'Data Download'. His index finger on that hand split at the tip and a tiny cable protruded. He directed it into the box and plugged it in to a slot on the side.  
  
"Downloading." The voice said. Soon it chimed in again: "Download Complete."  
  
Satisfied, Robert dropped the box.  
  
"Boomerangs could be fun to play with, I guess...never was good with them before." He stifled a laugh and beamed himself home.  
  
Meanwhile the doctors at the hospital had disconnected the EKG. The lead surgeon spoke solemnly, looking down at Robert's ruined body.  
  
"Time of death, four fifty-eight," he said. The lights in the operating theater went dim. 


End file.
